National Nursing Assessment Service

What National Nursing Assessment Service does

National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS) is a Canadian non-profit organization established in 2012 by the country's nursing regulatory bodies to standardize credential assessment for internationally educated nurses (IENs) seeking to practice as RNs, LPNs, or RPNs in Canada. Headquartered in Toronto at 1 Dundas Street West, NNAS operates as the mandatory first step in the IEN licensing workflow for all Canadian provinces except Quebec and the Territories, issuing Advisory Reports that provincial regulators rely on for licensure decisions. The organization is a subsidiary of TruMerit (formerly CGFNS International Inc.) and runs its operations through a two-vendor credentialing model, with TruMerit and the University of Toronto's Comparative Education Service (CES) processing applications and producing reports.

The core technology is a web-based applicant portal (my.nnas.ca) that supports account creation, document upload, status tracking, and digital Advisory Report delivery in English and French, with Moneris integrated for credit card payment processing. The product portfolio is split between two service tracks: the Expedited Service, which delivers an Advisory Report within 5 business days at $750 CAD using country-level curriculum reviews paired with an IRCC-approved Course-by-Course Assessment (CES, WES, ICAS, or ICES); and the Regular Service / Registered Psychiatric Nurse Pathway, which performs individual curriculum assessment against Canadian Entry to Practice Competencies and issues reports within 12 weeks at $650 USD, with $500 appeal fees in either currency.

NNAS monetizes exclusively through non-refundable application and appeal fees on a one-time, pay-as-you-go basis, with no subscription, enterprise, or per-seat pricing. Distribution is entirely digital and self-serve, complemented by toll-free phone and email support, while marketing is conducted through the website, social channels, educational webinars, and immigration-consultant referral pathways. The organization's strategic positioning is anchored in its regulatory mandate from provincial nursing bodies, which produces a structurally protected position in the Canadian IEN onboarding funnel.

Name

National Nursing Assessment Service

Legal name

National Nursing Assessment Service

Website

https://nnas.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NNAS is a Canadian non-profit that standardizes credential assessment for internationally educated nurses seeking RN, LPN, or RPN registration in Canada. It issues Advisory Reports accepted by provincial nursing regulators via a self-service portal, operating under parent TruMerit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Expedited Service Application Fees: Fee-based credential assessment service for Internationally Educated Nurses seeking RN or LPN registration. Single fee covers advisory report to multiple regulatory bodies.
2. Regular Service Application Fees: Fee-based credential assessment for IENs including individual curriculum assessment. Additional fees apply for subsequent professions and regulatory bodies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NNAS is a non-profit credentialing service that assesses and verifies the nursing education, registration history, and professional experience of Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) seeking registration to practice as RN, LPN, or RPN in Canada. It operates two service tracks — an Expedited Service (5 business days, $750 CAD) for RN/LPN pathways using Course-by-Course Assessment Reports, and a Regular Service / Registered Psychiatric Nurse Pathway (12 weeks, $650 USD) with individual curriculum assessment — issuing standardized Advisory Reports accepted by Canadian nursing regulatory bodies across Canada (excluding Quebec and the Territories).

Product overview

NNAS offers a credentialing and document verification service for Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) seeking to practice nursing in Canada. The core offering consists of two service tracks — the Expedited Service (for RN and LPN pathways, with a streamlined 5-day advisory report turnaround) and the Regular Service / Registered Psychiatric Nurse Pathway (for RPN and individual curriculum assessment, with a 12-week turnaround) — both funneling into the same online applicant portal and document submission system. Supporting resources (Applicant Handbooks, Readiness to Apply Tool, FAQs, document portal) are enablers of the core credential assessment workflow. NNAS does not license nurses; it collects and verifies documentation and issues Advisory Reports accepted by Canadian nursing regulatory bodies across most provinces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Expedited Service A streamlined credentialing service for Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) seeking registration as Registered Nurses (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) in Canada. Provides a 5-business-day Advisory Report turnaround and a single $750 CAD fee covering both RN and LPN assessments to multiple selected participating regulatory bodies, without individual curricular assessment.
• Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) Pathway (Regular Service) A credentialing service for Internationally Educated Nurses pursuing registration as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) in Canadian provinces that regulate psychiatric nursing as a distinct profession. Includes individual curriculum assessment compared to Canadian Entry to Practice Competencies, with a 12-week Advisory Report turnaround and a $650 USD main application fee covering one profession and one regulator.
• Advisory Report The standardized credential assessment report issued by NNAS, containing all verified documents submitted by the applicant, correspondence records, and (for the Regular Service / RPN Pathway) an individual curriculum assessment compared to Canadian Entry to Practice Competencies. The Advisory Report is sent to the provincial nursing regulatory bodies selected by the applicant and is valid for approximately two years as determined by those regulators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Expedited Service Advisory Reports issued within 5 business days of document receipt
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TruMerit (formerly CGFNS International Inc.)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2012TruMerit is both NNAS's parent organization and one of two credentialing vendors. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, TruMerit processes NNAS applications, collects and verifies documentation, and issues Advisory Reports according to NNAS's policies and standards.
• Comparative Education Service (CES), University of TorontocoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2012CES is one of NNAS's two credentialing vendors. Based in Toronto, Ontario, CES processes NNAS applications, performs credentialing reviews, and issues Advisory Reports according to NNAS's policies. CES is also an IRCC-approved organization providing Course-by-Course Assessment Reports.
• Canadian Nursing Regulatory BodiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNNAS was established by Canadian nursing regulatory bodies and issues Advisory Reports accepted by all regulatory bodies in Canada (except Quebec and Territories). Participating bodies include provincial colleges for RN, LPN, and RPN professions.
• College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Alberta (CRPNA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating regulatory body in the RPN pathway for credential assessment and licensing decisions.
• College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Manitoba (CRPNM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating regulatory body in the RPN pathway for credential assessment and licensing decisions.
• College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Saskatchewan (CRPNS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating regulatory body in the RPN pathway for credential assessment and licensing decisions.
• British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating regulatory body for RPN licensing in British Columbia through the RPN pathway.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• TruMerit (formerly CGFNS International): TruMerit is NNAS's parent organization and serves as one of two credentialing vendors, performing the same credential verification and Advisory Report functions NNAS issues. It is the most direct operational peer, with deep overlap in services, applicant base, and processing infrastructure.
• International Credential Evaluation Services (ICES): ICES is a BCIT-based IRCC-approved credential assessment service and a peer in the same Canadian credential evaluation ecosystem, serving internationally educated professionals including nurses seeking credential recognition.
• Comparative Education Service (CES) — University of Toronto: CES is NNAS's second credentialing vendor and a direct operational peer, performing credentialing reviews and issuing Advisory Reports for NNAS while also offering independent credential evaluation services to international applicants in Canada.
• World Education Services (WES): WES is an IRCC-approved credential evaluation organization that issues Course-by-Course Assessment Reports required for NNAS Expedited Service applicants. It is a direct peer in the broader international credential assessment space and serves the same internationally educated professional demographic in Canada.
• International Credential Assessment Service (ICAS): ICAS is an IRCC-approved credential assessment organization providing Course-by-Course Assessment Reports that NNAS Expedited Service applicants must obtain. It competes in the same Canadian credential evaluation market.

Regional players

• UK NARIC (now Ecctis): Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC) provides credential evaluation services for internationally educated professionals seeking recognition in the United Kingdom. It is a regional peer performing the same fundamental function for a different national regulatory environment.

Broad incumbents

• ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates): ECFMG performs credential verification for internationally educated physicians seeking to practice in the US, structurally parallel to NNAS's role for nurses in Canada. It is a comparable peer in the regulated healthcare-credentialing category, though for physicians rather than nurses.
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE): ECE is a US-based credential evaluation service with a broad international applicant base, including internationally educated healthcare professionals. It is a comparable peer for the credential evaluation workflow NNAS manages, though it operates in a larger and more general market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NNAS_SNEI
• Facebookfacebook.com/nnas.snei
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-nursing-assessment-service
• Instagraminstagram.com/nnas.snei

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Nursing Assessment Service